Graduation - Aftermath
by Dreamtyme
Summary: After the events of Graduation, Giles tries to help Buffy through the aftermath of the Mayor's ascension. This story was started during the middle of Season 3 and does not follow the show's cannon timeline. (B/G)
1. Chapter 1

Graduation - Aftermath  
  
by Buffy_Giles (buffy_giles@buffygiles.cjb.net)  
  
DISCLAIMER: All characters are copyright Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, the WB and whoever else I missed. I don't own these characters, I'm just borrowing them for my own sick pleasure. I'll clean them up before I return them I promise.  
  
SETTING: Takes place during the summer after the gang's graduation/the Mayor's ascension.  
  
Distribution: My site (A Watcher's Love -- http://buffygiles.cjb.net) and The New B/G Shippers Site. All others, just ask, you may want to wait until its finished.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTES: This story does not follow the show's cannon timeline. It's all mine, mine, mine!  
  
Feedback is appreciated. :-)  
  
  
  
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Chapter 1  
  
The sun had set several hours earlier. Rupert Giles was sitting alone in his living room putting some thoughts down in his journal. So much had happened in the last few weeks. His emotional, as well as his physical, well-being had been pushed to their limits. Sunnydale had been saved from Mayor Wilkins' ascension, but the cost had been great -- especially for Buffy.  
  
Graduation Day  
  
Graduation was held in the early afternoon. The gang was happy over this joyous occasion, but they were also anxious over what they knew would take place that evening. Giles and Wesley had searched the Codex and other books for anything that would help them in this battle. But nothing was in the books. They were on their own for this. Plans were made. The one thing that was certain was that they would need the power of magic as well as strength to be victorious. But would everyone survive?  
  
The Mayor (with the help of Faith) decided that Buffy needed something personal to get her off their backs. And personal they got. They were able to take both Buffy's mother and father (who had come in to celebrate Buffy's graduation) prisoner.  
  
Buffy (putting her duty before her heart) continued in her quest to stop Faith and the Mayor. It was a hard decision, but Buffy knew that if she stopped the Mayor, that Sunnydale would be saved.  
  
Xander, Oz, Cordelia, and Wesley went to the factory to figure out a way to free Buffy's parents. But something went wrong. There was an "accident" at the factory where Mr. and Mrs.Summers were being held. An explosion ripped through the factory, killing Buffy's parents. Cordelia and Oz were seriously injured; and Xander and Wesley came through with a few cuts and bruises.  
  
At the same time, the final battle with the Mayor was taking place. Buffy, Giles, Angel, Spike (who had returned to Sunnydale, sans Drusilla, just because he missed it!), Willow, Amy (who was no longer a rat), Michael, and a group of "good" demons (like Whistler and some of his cohorts) versus Faith and the invincible Mayor.  
  
For most of the battle, the fight was tilted in the Mayor's favor. He bounced back from every attack. Buffy did what she could to keep Faith out of it. Angel, Spike, Whistler and the other demons battled the Mayor as best as possible. Giles and the wiccas did what they could casting spells. But finally, close to midnight, things started to shift. And the Mayor seemed to be weakening (not much but it seemed as though he was tiring).  
  
Finally, it came to a one on one battle of sheer strength between Angel and the Mayor. It was nearing midnight, the time when the ascension needed to be completed or else the Mayor would be fallible again. Somehow Angel (whose strength was heightened thanks to a spell cast and being maintained by Amy and Michael) was able to keep the Mayor from completing his ritual by sheer fortitude, but the battle proved too much for him. In his weakened state, Faith (who slipped from Buffy's grasp) was able to overtake Angel and plunge a stake through his heart.  
  
The Mayor, knowing his time of ascension had passed and he was once again vulnerable, tried to escape during the aftermath, only to be stopped by Spike and Giles. Spike, being the demon that we all love, twisted the neck of the mayor/demon leaving him, well, dead!  
  
Buffy, acting on sheer adrenaline, attacked Faith with an animalistic instinct; never thinking of anything but the death of her beloved. She could not be stopped until Faith lay on the ground dead from several blows to the head. Giles would never forget the sound of sheer pain Buffy made once Faith was dead.  
  
Back to the present  
  
Giles, who was still shaken up about the whole ordeal, sat on his couch with tears in his eyes. All he could think about was Buffy. Her whole life has been shattered. After finding out about her parents, Buffy withdrew into a shell that nobody was able to penetrate.  
  
It's been six weeks and Buffy hasn't even said one word, Giles thought. The strong, vivacious young woman had been reduced to a mere shadow of her former self.  
  
Because of her mental state, the Council made arrangements for a nurse to stay with Buffy. Wesley, who knew deep down that he would be of no use for Buffy, resigned his post as Watcher, but remained in Sunnydale. Giles, due to a glowing recommendation from Wesley, was reinstated as Buffy's Watcher. What a joke! thought Giles. I'm a Watcher for a Slayer that may never recover from the mental condition that she is in. I guess they figured I wouldn't be much trouble.  
  
Giles wiped the tears away and decided to retire for the night. He went to his room and got ready for bed. He wanted to go visit Buffy early the next morning and just spend the day with her, just in case she said anything.  
  
This was what he had done everyday for the last six weeks.  



	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
RIIIING!!!  
  
The shrill of the telephone interrupted Giles sleep. He immediately grabbed the phone and said "Hello?"  
  
"Giles?" said the quiet voice.  
  
"Buffy!" Giles was fully awake now. "Is that you?"  
  
"Giles, I...I..." Buffy began to sob quietly.  
  
"Buffy, I'm on my way." Giles said.  
  
"Please, hurry." Buffy whispered. Then she hung up.  
  
Giles was dressed and out the door in less that five minutes. He jumped in his car and was at Buffy's house in less than 10 minutes. He jumped out of the car and walked quickly to the door. The nurse immediately opened the door for Giles before he even knocked.  
  
"Mr. Giles, thank heavens you are here," the nurse said. "Buffy has been calling for you for the last fifteen minutes or so."  
  
"Thank you, Miss Farrell." Giles said as he brushed past her and quickly ran up the stairs to Buffy's room.  
  
As Giles approached the door to Buffy's room he stopped walking and took a deep breathe. Just as he reached to open the door, Buffy called out his name. The sound broke his heart. She was completely terrified. He quickly opened the door.  
  
Buffy looked up at him from the corner where she was sitting, her knees drawn to her and her hands clasped firmly around them. Tears where just falling from her eyes. She looked like a scared animal, ready to bolt for cover at any second.  
  
"Giles?" she said sounding as if she wasn't believing what she was seeing.  
  
"I'm here Buffy," Giles said as he walked over to her in the corner.  
  
"Oh Giles," Buffy cried. "Is it really you?"  
  
"Yes, Buffy, it's really me." Giles kneeled down in front of her.  
  
"Oh my God!!" she started crying uncontrollably. "Mom, Dad!!! Angel!! They are gone! Giles I have no one left. It's all been taken away from me!"  
  
"Shhh. Sweetheart. Try to relax." Giles gathered her into his arms. She felt like a rag doll against him. She continued to sob as he picked her up. She put her arms around his neck tightly as if she was never going to let go.  
  
"Giles, don't leave me!!! I couldn't take it if you left me too," she said as he put her down on the bed.  
  
"Never Buffy. I'll stay here as long as you'll have me." Giles said, his voice full of emotion.  
  
Buffy threw herself back into Giles arms, nearly sending both of them to the floor. Giles was just barely able to keep his balance. "I need you, Giles. I know that I'm not doing well. I don't know what to do though. I'm so scared. I don't want to end up in the mental ward at Sunnydale General."  
  
Giles just hugged her, never wanting to let go.  
  
*****  
  
After several hours, Buffy finally fell asleep. He went down to talk with the nurse.  
  
"Miss Farrell, how long has Buffy been speaking?" Giles asked the nurse.  
  
"She just started about 15 minutes before you called. Took me by surprise actually. The poor girl hasn't said one word since I've been here. She hardly acknowledges my presence. She has been eating the meals I bring her and she takes care of her personal hygiene. Not once has she said anything. But for the 15 minutes before you arrived, all she said was Giles, over and over again. I tried to go in to calm her down but she fought me off." the nurse said.  
  
"Fine. That will be all Miss Farrell. I think that your work here is finished. I'll be staying with Buffy from now on. I will contact the Council in the morning and make arrangements for your departure." Giles told her.  
  
"Very well, if that's what you think is best," the nurse said. "Since you are here, do you mind if I go ahead and get a bit of rest?"  
  
"Not at all. Please relax and I'll see you when you wake up." Giles said.  
  
As the nurse began to walk up the stairs, Giles said "And Miss Farrell, I want to thank you for your service here. Thank you for taking care of Buffy."  
  
"The pleasure was mine, Mr. Giles. I just hope she'll be okay. Her reputation is well known among the Council. You should be very proud of her." The nurse said, sincerely.  
  
"I am." Giles said.  
  
Giles sat down on the couch and began to think about what he should do. "I need to do what is best for Buffy."  
  



	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
Giles had been sitting on the couch thinking about what he going to do. After awhile he fell asleep. He was awaken by the sound of Buffy's screams.  
  
"GILES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GILES!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHERE ARE YOU?!!"  
  
Giles ran up the stairs, into Buffy's room and immediately gathered her into his arms. "Shh, calm down. I'm here."  
  
"Oh Giles, I thought I had dreamed your being here. And I got scared when you weren't here." She sobbed.  
  
"I'm not going anywhere." Giles said.  
  
"You've said that before." Buffy said with a smile.  
  
"I have?" he looked at her.  
  
"Yeah. When Quentin Travers fired you. You said 'I'm not going anywhere.'" She recalled. "And you meant it then too."  
  
He pulled her closed to him and said, "Yes, I did and I do."  
  
"Giles, would you stay with me the rest of the night? I don't want to wake up all wigged out again." She asked.  
  
"Well, of course. Mustn't have you 'wigged'" he replied. He went and got a chair to sit near the bed.  
  
"No, Giles. Would you lay next to me? I just want you to hold me." She said quietly.  
  
"B-B-Buffy, I'm not sure about that. It's not a-appropriate." Giles stammered.  
  
"Please Giles. It would really help." She looked at him pleadingly.  
  
"Are you sure?" he looked at her.  
  
"Yes. Please." She said.  
  
"Very well." He said as he began to pull the covers down and get into bed.  
  
"Giles, why don't you get out of some of your clothes. Be comfortable. You need sleep too." She told him.  
  
God help me. thought Giles. "Alright." He stripped down to his t-shirt and boxers. And got under the covers with Buffy. She scooted back against him and he put his arms around her. Does she realize what she is putting me through? he asked himself. Trying not to notice how wonderful she smelled and how good it felt to hold her close to him.  
  
Buffy was asleep in no time.  
  
Giles wasn't as lucky. He just laid there with his arms around Buffy with his his head against her hair. Oh Buffy. I hope I'll be able to help you through this. He slightly tightened his hold on Buffy. She sighed and leaned further into Giles. May the Gods help me!  
  



	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
Sunlight was streaming in through the window. Giles began to wake up. He realized that his arms were still wrapped around Buffy. Her form was melded into his. Perfect fit he thought. He hugged her tightly.  
  
Buffy began to stir. Then she sat up quickly. "Where am I?" she asked out loud.  
  
"Buffy, relax, we're in your room." Giles sat up next to her.  
  
"Oh Giles," she breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought I dreamed what happened last night."  
  
"No, you didn't. I hope you slept well," he said to her.  
  
"Actually, I've probably had the best sleep in weeks. I feel alive for the first time, since..." she stopped. Tears started to form in her eyes.  
  
Giles put his arms around her. She began to cry quietly against his chest.  
  
"Buffy, nothing I can say will make the pain go away," he said sadly. "But I'm here for you. If you need to talk, I'll listen. If you need a shoulder to cry on, it's yours. Anything you need..." Tears began to well up in his own eyes and he could continue no further. He just held her tightly and cried with her.  
  
A few minutes passed, and Buffy's tears subsided. She looked up at Giles.  
  
"I can't lie to you. What has happened has just about killed me inside. There have been times when I've just wanted to die. And a few times I've really considered doing something about it. But you know what has kept me going?" she looked up at him sadly. "You Giles. All I could think about was you and what killing myself would do to you."  
  
Giles held her tightly.  
  
"When Jenny was taken away from me," he began. "All I wanted to do was die. That was why I went to face Angelus on my own." He recalled the memory of Jenny's lifeless body lying in his bed. "Life had no meaning at that point. But when you found me and told me that you couldn't face this war without me, I realized that you meant more to me than anything else in the world. Even more than Jenny."  
  
Buffy looked up at him, surprised.  
  
"I realized then, that I was bound to you in such a way that I would never leave you. I would do what I could to protect you." He frowned. "Then I had to go along with the traditions of the Council and almost let you get killed."  
  
She gave him a sad smile. "We'll have none of that. No looking back at our past mistakes. Today I want you to help me. I want to go someplace. Anyplace. I need to leave this house. I need to start living again. If I don't you really will have to put me away."  
  
"Buffy, are you sure of this?" Giles looked at her.  
  
"Giles, for the last week or so I've been trying to pull myself out of the shell I've been living in. When I called you last night, I knew it was the first step in helping myself. Now I need to take a second step" she said.  
  
"Very well," he said. "Why don't you get ready and I'll talk with the nurse and make sure she's ready to leave."  
  
"Alright," she looked like she wanted to say something but didn't.  
  
"I'll see you downstairs," he told her.  
  
She got up and went to the bathroom to take a shower. Giles quickly got dressed and went downstairs.  
  
I hope she's ready to face the world.  
  



	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
"Come on the Giles!" Buffy shrieked with delight as the waves crashed around her feet. Giles smiled and proceeded to remove his shoes and socks. He joined her at the water's edge. Buffy continued to dance around in the water, occasionally kicking water up at Giles. He playfully chased her, threatening to throw her into the ocean.  
  
This had been the normal routine for the last week – wake up, go to the beach, return to Buffy's house, watch television, have meals in between, and then go to bed. Usually on the way back from the beach, Giles would stop at his house to pick up some clothes. He had continued sleeping with Buffy, as she still didn't want to be alone.  
  
But when is she going to want to see anyone else? he thought to himself as they drove away from the beach in silence.  
  
Buffy looked out the passenger door window in silence.  
  
"Buffy?" Giles asked quietly.  
  
She turned to look at him. "Yes Giles?" she answered.  
  
"I-I-I think," he stammered. "I-I mean. Perhaps we could give Willow a call this evening and have her over for a visit."  
  
Buffy looked at Giles for a few seconds before responding. "I don't think so, not tonight," she said. "I'm a little tired."  
  
Giles knew she wasn't being honest. He pushed a little more. "Buffy, Willow wants to see you. She's worried about you. Couldn't we-"  
  
"I said no Giles!" Buffy raised her voice a bit.  
  
"Alright," Giles relented.  
  
The remainder of the car ride was silent.  
  
*****  
  
Another week had passed and no change. Giles was at the end of his rope. She's not getting better. he feared. He was sitting in the living room of Buffy's house while she was in the shower.  
  
She had avoided the issue of settling her parents' affairs. She had made excuses for not talking to her friends. She had even put a slight wall up between herself and Giles. This was something that worried Giles. He felt helpless and afraid. He wasn't sure what to do.  
  
*****  
  
As Buffy stood in the shower, the water spraying her back, she cried. This was the only place were she would let herself go. The only place she would mourn for her parents, for Faith, and for Angel.  
  
Mom. Dad. She cried softly. Just when things looked good for them. Just when it seemed that they may reunite. They were taken from her. A little bit of herself died that night.  
  
Faith. She leaned against the wall in the shower. A Slayer like herself. She chose the path of darkness, and it cost her her life. Buffy still couldn't overcome the guilt she felt over taking the other girl's life (although Giles and the Watcher's Council agreed that she wasn't in the right frame of mind when the events transpired).  
  
Angel. Her legs gave out and she sat down in the shower, tucked her knees up to her chest and embraced them. Her sobs got louder. She and Angel had decided to break things off. He was supposed to leave for Los Angeles after the Ascension. But that wasn't meant to be.   
  
But what bothered her most - what filled her with so much guilt and anguish - was the fact that she was relieved. The one emotion that was stronger than her grief was relief. Relief that the one that had survived was Giles.  
  
" Giles," she said the name reverently. She didn't know what she would do without him. She had no doubts that she had survived this long as the Slayer because of him. He was her teacher, mentor, friend, and confidante. The feelings that he stirred inside her were strong. But he won't ever seem me as anything more than his daughter she thought.  
  
Buffy was more confused than ever.  
  
She wept for some time before she composed herself. She finished showering and then got ready to spend the rest of the evening with Giles on the couch.  
  



	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  
  
Giles sat on the couch contemplating what his next move should be. He heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs. He looked up as Buffy entered the living room. She looked so small and so helpless, it took all his control not to just go to her and pick her up and just hold her close to him.  
  
"So, what's on the agenda tonight?" Buffy asked cheerfully, but the emotion didn't reach her eyes.  
  
Giles took a deep breath and began to speak. He had been rehearsing this moment since she had gone up for her shower. "Buffy, w-w-we have to t-talk--"  
  
"Giles," Buffy interrupted him. "It's TV time."  
  
"No, Buffy," Giles spoke with confidence. "It's time to talk. You know it and I know it."  
  
She just looked at him, but didn't say a word. She walked over to him and sat down on the couch. She kept her hands in her lap and looked at them.  
  
"Buffy, things aren't getting better. Issues are being avoided that have to be dealt with. You have avoided your friends. You've even distanced yourself from me."  
  
That last sentence got her attention. She looked up and said quietly, "I'm not distancing myself."  
  
"Yes you are. Albeit just slightly. Buffy, if you want to get better you have to start to face things. I know it's hard, believe me I know."  
  
"Giles, if you're just worried about when I can get back on patrol, I'll start again. I don't want you unhappy with me."  
  
"No, Buffy it's not that," Giles said to her. "Another Slayer was activated when Faith-" he stopped suddenly.  
  
The composure that Buffy was struggling to keep was quickly failing, "When Faith was killed - by me. I killed her. She's dead. They're all dead and its all my fault!" She got up and ran to her room.  
  
"Buffy," Giles said standing up and following her. She made it to her room and slammed the door. Giles went to the door and tried to turn the knob. Locked.  
  
"Damn." He said. "Buffy! Open this door."  
  
"NO!" she cried.  
  
"Buffy, please."  
  
"NO! You shouldn't even want to look at me. So many people have died and it's all my fault. How can you even stand me!?"  
  
"Damn it Buffy, please open the door."  
  
"No!"  
  
The stress of the last several weeks was too much for him to bear. The tears just began and his voice cracked. "Buffy, please. Don't do this to yourself. Don't do this to ME." He banged on the door with so much force that his hand throbbed in pain. "Buffy if you don't get better for yourself, then do it for me."  
  
The words came from his heart. He dropped to his knees and began to sob, his sadness for the young woman on the other side of the door too much to bear.  
  
The sound coming from the other side of the door nearly broke Buffy's heart. Her tears continued to fall but she walked to the door and opened the door. Giles looked up at her. She walked to him and reached down to give him her hand. He took it gently, the pulled her down to him and hugged her tightly. She held on to him like she was never going to let go.  
  
Giles cradled her in his arms and kissed the top of her head.  
  
"Help me Giles," she said into his chest.  
  
Giles picked her up and took her to her bed and sat her down. He sat down next to her. "I want to help you Buffy, but you're going to have to help me here. You need to talk to me."  
  
*****  
  
So talk she did - about the sadness ... about the emptiness ... about the guilt. She told him how she was ashamed to face everyone after she failed so miserably. She said she missed her mom and her dad. She said she let Angel down. And that she felt horrible about Faith. She poured her heart out to him. She cried and cried but eventually all the walls came down and she told him everything. Almost everything - she couldn't bring herself to talk about how she felt about him.  
  
Giles listened to her let it all out. He held her hand as she spoke. When she finished he hugged her. "Buffy, you need to start living again. You know that all of them would want that for you."  
  
"I know," she said. "But I feel like it should have been me to die. I'm the Slayer, I'm the one who's supposed to die."  
  
Not if I can help it he thought to himself. "Buffy, sometimes there are things that are just out of our control. You did what you could. We all did what we could."  
  
"I know Giles," she said as she hugged him tightly. "But it's so hard."  
  
"I know sweetheart," the endearment rolled off his tongue without a second thought.  
  
He called me sweetheart! her brain whirled. Then the guilt set in again for feeling happy. She wondered if she'd ever get over the guilt. She stood up. "Giles, I'm not really up for a movie. I'm kinda tired."  
  
"Very well," Giles said. "Bedtime. Did you want me to join you or did you want to be alone?"  
  
She looked at him and said, "I'm not ready to be alone just yet."  
  
"Alright. Let me turn off the lights and I'll join you in a minute."  
  
And, as they had been doing for the last several weeks, they went to sleep together - Buffy feeling safe in Giles' warm embrace.  
  



	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7  
  
The next several days were a whirlwind. Giles helped Buffy start getting things in order. The house was put up for sale. The wills were read. Buffy, of course, was left with everything her parents owned. It was a hard time for Buffy, but Giles helped keep her balanced. When things got to be too much, he held her and said soothing things to her.   
  
The night before they were going to start packing the items in the house and putting them in storage, Giles invited Xander, Willow, Oz, Cordy and Wesley over for dinner. Buffy was nervous about seeing her friends. Giles assured her that everything would be fine.   
  
When the doorbell rang, Buffy froze. She looked ready to bolt. Giles walked up to her and squeezed her hand and gave her a chaste kiss on her forehead before going to answer the door.   
  
The group stood on the other side of the door and looked as nervous as Buffy did.   
  
"Hello, come in," Giles told the group.   
  
They walked in quietly. It was Willow who first walked up to her. "Hi Buff," she said and hugged her.   
  
Buffy hugged her back with tears in her eyes, "Hey Will."   
  
After that, the rest of them hugged Buffy and they started to break the ice. Dinner went well. After dinner, the younger people went into the living room to talk and listen to music. Giles looked on and smiled and went into the kitchen to clean up. Wesley followed him.   
  
"How is she doing, really Rupert?" he asked. "Will she ever be as she was?"   
  
"She's still struggling," he said. "But I see improvement every day."   
  
"And how about you? How are you holding up? Have you told her how you feel about her?"   
  
Giles looked at him surprised. "What do you mean?"   
  
"Oh please Rupert. It was always apparent but now it's obvious to even the casual observer. You're in love with her."   
  
"Yes I am," he said. "And no I haven't told her and I don't plan to."   
  
"Why the bloody hell not?" Wesley asked. "She obviously cares about you as well."   
  
Giles laughed, "Wesley, Buffy looks to me as her surrogate parent and nothing more. And if that is what she wants then I will act in that capacity."   
  
"Bullocks," Wesley said. "There's more to it and you know it."   
  
Giles ran his hand through his hair, "And what if there isn't?"   
  
"You won't find out unless you talk to her," he said. "You never know Rupert, it may be the one thing that brings the Buffy we all remember back."   
  
"Wesley, how can I put this on her right now? She lost her parents and she lost Angel." He will scrub the pan furiously.   
  
"What she and Angel had ended long ago Rupert. I saw the way she looked at you, the way you looked at each other. I never stood a chance as her Watcher. She had given herself completely to you."   
  
He turned around and looked at him, "That isn't true."  
  
"Yes. Yes it is Rupert. Is it really so hard to believe? How many Watchers and Slayers became lovers over the years?" He continued. "Countless."   
  
"It's different with Buffy," Giles said.   
  
"No it's not. Why are you kidding yourself? Are you afraid that she may actually love you back?" Wesley challenged him.   
  
"Maybe I am," he admitted.   
  
"Rup-- Giles," he said softly. "Talk to her."   
  
"Alright I will," Giles said. "Tonight."  
  



	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8  
  
Once they had said goodbye to their guests, Giles led Buffy back to the living room. He sat her down on the sofa and sat next to her. "Buffy, we need to talk."  
  
She looked at him questioningly. "What's wrong Giles?"  
  
He looked at the face of his beautiful slayer and gave her a small smile, "Nothing yet, but I'm afraid that what I have to say... well, it may change things."  
  
"Change things?" she asked. "Giles what is going on?"  
  
He took his glasses off and looked at her intently. "Buffy, you are the most remarkable woman I know. You are strong and you are intelligent. You have gone through more than many people go through in a lifetime. And even through it all, even with the burden of your destiny upon you, you manage to get through every day and not lose yourself. I have the utmost respect for you. I look up to you."  
  
She watched him as he spoke. "Is there something else Giles?"  
  
He looked at her and took her hand in his, "Buffy, I know you are young, I know that you see me as no more than your surrogate father, but I must tell you this."  
  
She continued watching silently, biting her lower slip softly.  
  
"Elizabeth Anne Summers," he began. "I love you. You are my sunshine and you are my life. I will be here for you in whatever capacity you need me, but always know that I am here for you. I will never leave you, and I will walk beside you in your battles. I will always protect you to the best of my abil-"  
  
Before Giles could finish his speech, Buffy threw herself into his arms and kissed him urgently. He brought his hands up to embrace her as he returned the kiss tenfold. When she pulled back, her eyes were shining with unshed tears.  
  
"I love you too, Gi- Rupert," she said softly. "I've known it for a long time know. I just didn't know you felt the same. You're the only reason I am still here. You have saved me in ways that you don't even know."  
  
"Oh Buffy," he said softly hugging her. "I don't know what I'd have done if I had lost you."  
  
After they pulled away she began to talk to him. Telling him about her feelings for him, the guilt she felt because she had lost so much but was relieved that he wasn't one of those she lost. Giles sat there and held her as she talked to him. They both talked until very late into the night. When Buffy finally fell asleep, Giles picked her up gently and took her to her bedroom and placed her on the bed.  
  
She woke up and looked at him, "Stay with me tonight."  
  
"I-I don't know Buffy." he said.  
  
"I want you to," she said looking at him lovingly.  
  
Never denying his slayer anything, he agreed.  
  
Buffy rose from the bed and approached Giles. She moved into his arms and hugged him tightly. Giles returned the embace unsure of how to proceed.  
  
Buffy looked up at him and smiled reassuringly, "I know what I'm doing Giles." she said to him, her hand softly stroking his back.  
  
He smiled softly and lowered his head towards her and kissed her passionately. His tongue entered her slightly opened mouth. She responded in kind, tasting him.  
  
He pulled back looking at her and he could see the desire clearly evident in her eyes. He began to remove her clothing and she began to remove his. When the final pieces of cloth were removed, he laid her down on the bed.  
  
Giles lavished attention to her right breast with his mouth, sucking the nipple into his mouth as his fingers tweaked and squeezed the other. Buffy sighed at this assault on her breasts.  
  
He continued to kiss and lick and suck every inch of her body. Buffy was wild with desire. When he finally entered her, she gasped. Their bodies moved together in rhythm, slowly moving towards crescendo. They continued kissing as they moved together in a dance as old as time itself.  
  
Buffy was moving in time with him. She had never felt so good, so alive. She came with a scream, pulsating around him. The feeling moved him to completion; he thrust one last time and sent his seed into her. Spent, he moved off of her and pulled her to him. He kissed the top of her head.  
  
"I love you," she said softly.  
  
"I love you, Buffy," he said almost reverently.  
  
They fell asleep in the same bed they had shared for months, but this time it was different. Wrapped in each other's arms, it was no longer one person providing comfort to another -- it was two people who loved each other and wanted to be close and feel the love between them.  
  
*****  
  
After that evening, Buffy's stability improved on a daily basis. The house was sold and Buffy moved in with Giles. She began living her life again. She began training again and began patrolling in the evenings with the new slayer, Danielle.  
  
Six months later, Buffy and Giles were married in a small ceremony with all their friends in attendance.  
  
FINIS...finally!   



End file.
